What Are Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives?
Most adjectives follow a regular pattern when comparing things. We add -er for comparatives (bigger, faster) and -est for superlatives (biggest, fastest). However, some common adjectives do not follow this pattern. These are called irregular comparatives and superlatives. Instead of adding endings, these adjectives change their form completely. Learning these exceptions is important because they are used very frequently in English.
Common Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives
The most important irregular adjectives are: good/better/best, bad/worse/worst, little/less/least, and many/more/most. There is also far, which becomes further or farther in comparative form and furthest or farthest in superlative form. These adjectives appear in everyday conversation and writing, so it is essential to memorize their forms. Unlike regular comparatives, you cannot add -er or -est to these words.
Using Irregular Comparatives in Sentences
Comparatives compare two things and use the pattern: Subject + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun or pronoun. Superlatives compare three or more things and use the pattern: Subject + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun. Remember that 'more' and 'most' are also used with some regular adjectives (more interesting, most interesting), but for the irregular adjectives in this lesson, the forms themselves change entirely, not just adding 'more' or 'most.'
Irregular Forms at a Glance
| Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| good | better | best | This is better than before. She is the best student. | Also applies to the adverb well → better → best |
| bad | worse | worst | Today is worse than yesterday. That was the worst meal. | Also applies to the adverb badly → worse → worst |
| little | less | least | I have less time now. She made the least effort. | Refers to quantity/degree; littler/littlest used for physical size only |
| many / much | more | most | He has more books than me. She ate the most. | Many = countable nouns; much = uncountable nouns; both share the same comparative/superlative |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest | The store is farther away. We need further discussion. | Farther/farthest = physical distance; further/furthest = figurative or additional degree (both are widely accepted) |
Examples
What to Remember
- Most adjectives add -er and -est, but some irregular adjectives change form completely instead.
- The most common irregular adjectives are: good/better/best, bad/worse/worst, and little/less/least.
- Use the comparative form (better, worse) when comparing two things or people.
- Use the superlative form (best, worst) when comparing three or more things.
- Irregular adjectives must be memorized because they don't follow the regular -er/-est pattern.